Year 7 / Year 8 / Year 9
1. correct vowel choices, including: vowels with common alternative spellings e.g. ay, ai, a-e; unstressed vowels; the influence of vowels on other letters, e.g. doubling consonants, softening c;
2. pluralisation, including -es endings and words ending in y, f and vowels;
3. word endings, including vowel suffixes such as -ing; consonant suffixes such as -ful; modifying words ending in y or e; making choices between similar endings such as -cian, -sion and -tion;
4. prefixes, including antonym prefixes, e.g. ir-, un- ;
5. the spellings of high-frequency words including common homophones;
6. the use of the apostrophe including: omissions; the possessive apostrophe; apostrophising plurals, e.g. ladies’ coats, and words ending in s; the exception of possessive pronouns; / 1. review, consolidate and secure the spelling conventions covered in Year 7 which include:
a) vowel choices;
b) pluralisation;
c) word endings;
d) prefixes and suffixes;
e) apostrophes;
f) homophones;
2. revise and remember high frequency spellings;
3. investigate lexical patterns in new vocabulary;
4. learn complex polysyllabic words and unfamiliar words which do not conform to regular patterns; / 1. review all aspects of spelling covered in Years 7 and 8 and continue to improve their spelling by applying knowledge of spelling conventions;
7. the spellings of key words in each subject. / 5. secure the spelling of key terms and new words from across the curriculum; / 2. spell accurately all high frequency words and new terms from all subject areas;
8. recognise and record personal errors, corrections, investigations, conventions, exceptions and new vocabulary; /
6. devise their own ways to improve their spelling, building on strategies from Year 7 including:
a) maintaining a personal record of spelling difficulties and development; / 3. recognise their strengths as spellers, identify areas where they need to improve and use appropriate strategies to eliminate persistent errors;c) identifying common spelling patterns and conventions in their growing vocabulary;
9. sound out words phonemically and by syllables; / 6. d) sounding out and syllabifying;
10. draw on analogies to known words, roots, derivations, word families, morphology and familiar spelling patterns; / 6. f) drawing on word structures, families and derivations;
g) using analogy
b) applying spelling rules and recognising exceptions; / b) applying knowledge of word origins, families and morphology;
11. identify words which pose a particular challenge and learn them by using mnemonics, multi-sensory re-inforcement and memorising critical features; / 6. e) memorising critical features; / 14. address personal difficulties with words through strategies which include:
a) experimenting with different ways of learning and remembering difficult spellings, e.g. mnemonics;
12. use the quartiles of a dictionary and find words beyond the initial letter;
13. make effective use of a spellchecker, recognising where it might not be sufficient or appropriate.
15. use a dictionary and a thesaurus with speed and skill; / 6. c) using dictionaries and spellcheckers where appropriate; / 5. make use of different kinds of dictionary, thesaurus and spell checker;
14. define and deploy words with precision, including their exact implication in context; / 7. c) understand and explain exactly what words mean in particular contexts;
21. read accurately, and use correctly, vocabulary which relates to key concepts in each subject, distinguishing between everyday uses of words and their subject specific use, e.g. energy, resistance; / 9. appreciate the precise meaning of specialist vocabulary for each school subject, and use specialist terms aptly in their own writing;
16. work out the meaning of unknown words using context, etymology, morphology, compound patterns and other qualities such as onomatopoeia; /
7. review and develop their ability to:
a) recognise links between words related by word families and roots;b) work out the meaning of unknown words using context, syntax, etymology, morphology and other factors;
20. expand the range of link words and phrases used to signpost texts, including links of time (then, later, meanwhile) and cause (so, because, since); / 10. extend the range of prepositions and connectives used to indicate purpose, e.g. in order to, so that, or express reservations, e.g. although, unless, if; / 8. recognise how lines of thought are developed and signposted through the use of connectives, e.g. nonetheless, consequently, furthermore.
11. appreciate the impact of figurative language in texts;
12. recognise how the degree of formality influences word choice;
13.understand the implications when a word is in quotation marks or is used ironically; / 7. recognise layers of meaning in the writer’s choice of words, e.g. connotation, implied meaning, different types or multiple meanings;
17. understand and have the terminology to describe the role of word classes, e.g. preposition, auxiliary verb; / 8. understand and use key terms that help to describe and analyse language, e.g. word class, noun phrase, subordinate clause, syntax, conditional; / 6. know and use the terms that are useful for analysing language, e.g. type of phrase or clause, conditional verb;
18. understand and use correctly terms of qualification e.g. fully, slightly, similarly, mostly, and comparison, e.g. less, fewer, more, most, …-er /-est;
19. investigate and apply lexical patterns, e.g. adding –ify to an adjective to create a verb.
22. draw links between words in different languages, e.g. Haus-house; femme-feminine;
14. collect and comment on examples of language change e.g. new words associated with electronic communication and ICT.
Hertfordshire Key Stage 3 English Team Word Page 1 of 3